Pearl Harbor Movie Controversy Builds (in National News) Judy Chu Wins Assembly Seat (in California News) Will Sunshine Work With the Two Koreas? (in Business) Penn Masala: Cutie crooners bring Indian style to a-capella singing (in A&E) Emil Amok: My International Incident, Part I (in Opinion)

North East Medical Services Open in Visitacion Valley

A ribbon cutting ceremony officially opens the North East Medical Service site: Mr. Dick Liniger (DHHS), Catherine Dodd (representing Nancy Pelosi), S.F. Mayor Willie Brown, Norman Hui (NEMS Board of Directors), and Sophie Wong (NEMS President/ CEO).

By Ji Hyun Lim

When Norman Hui arrived in San Francisco as an immigrant, he saw many people in the Asian American community who couldn’t afford health care.

Now a dentist — and chair of the board of directors for North East Medical Services — Hui hopes to change that situation for a new generation of newcomers.

“I wanted to donate my time to the health community and make sure the medically under-served get medical attention, especially in preventive care,” he said.

Lions danc outside the front door to bring good luck.

On May 10, in reaction to a growing need for inexpensive health care in South San Francisco, North East Medical Services (NEMS) opened up a new site on Leland Ave. in Visitacion Valley.

“We opened up a new site in the area so people who work there will easily have access to basic care services,” Sophie Wong, president and CEO of NEMS said. “They don’t have to take a long bus ride to Chinatown to see us. That’s really advantageous to the people that live there.”

The new site plans to model their program after the NEMS’ Stockton site, its original clinic and one of the largest health centers in the country that serves the Asian American community.

Last year, that clinic served 23,000 patients, with 20 full-time physicians, six dentists, one optometrist, a nutritionist, two social workers and health educators. According to a survey NEMS conducted, 59 percent of their members have no insurance, 15 percent are unemployed, 53 percent have incomes below the federal poverty level, and 22 percent are elderly.

With support from federal funding and numerous volunteers, the nonprofit community health center offers clients a sliding fee scale that allows flexible payment. Other than hospitalization, NEMS is a full-service clinic. Doctors are on call 24 hours a day. If the patient needs to be hospitalized, he or she will be accompanied by a physician or referred to a hospital by NEMS. Primary and preventive health services range from Pap smears, cancer screening, pre-natal care, and diabetic, pediatric and geriatric medicine.

So far, the new site has six exam rooms with three doctors and plans to build two dental chairs.

“We want to provide health care service to all people who enter the door … regardless of their ability to pay, regardless of whether they have insurance or not; if they have insurance, we will bill for the insurance,” Wong said.

NEMS also provides a multi-lingual staff. Some 86 percent of their clients speak little or no English. At the Stockton clinic, staff members speak Korean, Vietnamese, several Chinese dialects, and other languages.

At the Leland site, plans include hiring more Spanish-speaking employees to accommodate clients, who are one-third Latino, one-third Asian American, and one-third African American.

“The nurse, the front desk, everyone [who] has contact with the patients should be able to speak one form of an Asian dialect,” Wong said of the Stockton NEMS. “That’s why it is culturally and linguistically appropriate to the patient. They come in and they’re almost like they’re in Hong Kong or Taiwan.”

Said NEMS Chief Operating Officer Linda Bien: “What’s unique about this clinic is that we are going to be able to offer services to an area that has minimal health care services, especially in a multi-lingual, culturally sensitive way. This clinic hopes to make an impact in revitalizing the community. In health care, when you have a healthy citizenship, you have a productive one. I think that’s important.”

The Board of Directors guides the CEO and COO in clinic policies. At least 51 percent of the board members are required by federal regulations to be patients at the clinic. Board members can advise for administrative changes based on their assessment as clients.

“[NEMS] runs like a team. It’s not bureaucratic at all,” Wong said. “I’m the captain carrying it out. The board of directors hire me and I hire all my staff.”